Page 17 of Shadow Touched

Panic filled Leia. She wasn’t ready for asleep-over with Brim. She tried to think fast. “Um, he actuallyexpressed he wanted to spend time with Martha. I’ll sleep here inthe grandstand, and he can sleep at his mom’s.”

Piper frowned. “Are you sure?”

Relief filled Leia. “Positive. It’s just onenight. Want me to help with cooking?”

“Know how to shuck corn?”

“Yep.”

“Good. ‘Cause we eat a lot of it aroundhere.”

****

“What’s really going on?” Kix asked as heheaded toward one of the large garages on the property.

“Not sure what you mean,” Brim replied.

“I remember your words at your mom’swedding.” Kix shot him a sardonic look. “No more commitment foryou. And you two aren’t acting like you’ve fucked, so I’m notbuying this touchy feely act.”

Brim looked around and halted the other man.Kix sat his son on the ground and the little boy immediately pickedup a stick.

“This stays between us,” Brim said.

Kix nodded his agreement.

“Leia helped me avoid getting a bullet in myhead.”

Kix’s gaze narrowed. “A hit?”

“The man who tried to assassinate me was myown fucking man.”

“A coup?” Kix asked as he bent and took awaythe stick his son was trying to eat. The little boy blinked up athim before waddling over to another stick.

“I don’t know,” Brim said. “I’m going backto figure it out.”

“You’re with her out of gratitude?”

“Not exactly,” Brim said. “Leia is comingalong to help me not get killed. She said we had to establish heridentity in my life and suggested we act as a couple.”

“That explains the tension. How can TheWhite Death help?”

“You’re already doing it by inviting ushere. I don’t know how deep the betrayal goes.”

“I can get Mac to scan for chatter,” Kixoffered.

Brim nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Let’s go talk to Mac and afterwards, we canget your bike tuned up. It sounded a little clogged.” Kix picked uphis son, who munched on the end of a new stick. “Don’t tell his momI’m letting him eat this. If I take it away, he’s going to startscreaming and I do not want to hear that. His voice is soshrill it’ll melt your eardrums.”

Chapter Seven

“Tell me how you met my son.”

For a moment, Leia’s mind went blank. Sheand Brim hadn’t really gotten into discussing their backstory, soshe decided to stay as close to the truth as possible.

“I worked in a bar,” she said. “A drunk washarassing me, and Brim stepped and told him to scram.”

“I bet he used more colorful language,”Martha said with a smirk.

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